New Tata Safari With Chrome Grille Teased Ahead Of Launch

Tata Motors has confirmed that the production-spec Gravitas SUV will be named as the Safari in India. The Safari is one of the most iconic nameplates in the Indian auto industry, and it will be making a comeback as Tata’s new flagship SUV in India. The 7-seater version of the Harrier that was showcased at the 2020 Indian AutoExpo was codenamed as the Gravitas. Tata Motors has been using different monikers, calling the vehicle as the Buzzard also during the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. But Tata says that the upcoming 7-seater SUV was always intended to the be Tata Safari. And Tata has just revealed a teaser shot of the new Safari’s grille.

As you can see in the teaser, the new grille for the upcoming Tata Safari is a chrome version, instead of the Harrier’s gloss black one. This gives the new Safari a more premium look, which will fit in well with the SUV’s flagship status in the Tata lineup. The grille also gets Bi Arrow design elements which are quickly becoming a Tata signature after the Tata Nexon facelift got it first. The Safari teaser also shows the vehicle in a shade of dark blue, and Tata most likely will be launching the Safari with new colours to differentiate it from the smaller Harrier.

The Tata Safari will be powered by the Harrier's Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine that produces 170 PS/350 Nm of peak power and torque. The engine will come mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. Dimension wise, Tata has also added 63mm to the Harrier’s length and 80mm to the height to make way for a decent third row. And like the Harrier, the new Safari too will be based on the Land Rover-derived Omega architecture.

The new Safari will arrive in showrooms in January itself, and bookings for it will also commence later this month. It will come at a decent premium over the Harrier which is priced between INR 13.84-20.30 lakh and will rival the likes of the MG Hector Plus and upcoming next-gen Mahindra XUV500.